An Album a Day #2026-13

Notes

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Geneva, Switzerland? For me, after listening to Swiss guitarist Louis Matute's latest record Dolce Vita, it will be groove. There's also an American vibe to the record: a little Afro Caribbean rhythm here, some bossa nova there, R&B over there in the corner, all drenched with the sound of jazz.

Dolce vita is Italian for "sweet life," a title that might be politically charged considering the album contains songs with titles like "Santa Marta," (the Columbian city where Simon Bolivar died), "Tegucigalpa 72" (the year the Honduran capital experienced a military coup), and "Gringolandia" (a definite reference to the United States of America).

In an interview with Fifteen Questions, Matute seems to confirm the political undertones:

I believe our role as artists is to express [conflict] in a... poetic yet subversive way, with colours, melodies, harmonies, that speak to your body and not your mind.

This body, for one, has been spoken to. It will be moving along to Dolce Vita for the foreseeable future. It's the best kind of politics; the kind that gets your head bobbing and your ass swinging.

Listen

What is "An Album a Day"?

Each day in 2026, I'm listening to an album that:

1. I've never heard before
2. Was released in the last six months (from the time of listening)